Michael D. Dovilla Biography
Mike Dovilla represents the 17th District in the Ohio House of Representatives. From 2011 to 2016, he served most of the same southwestern Cuyahoga County communities in one of Ohio’s most competitive legislative districts. A principled yet pragmatic legislator, Mike returns to the Legislature with the well-earned reputation of a thoughtful policymaker trusted by constituents and colleagues alike.
In the 136th General Assembly, Representative Dovilla serves as Vice Chairman of the House Finance Committee and a member of the Energy, Veterans and Military Development, and Workforce and Higher Education Committees. During his previous service in the House, his peers elected him Majority Whip and he chaired two standing committees. As a freshman in 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. Representative Dovilla is the author of 15 state laws designed to spur economic development, strengthen education, protect senior citizens, support veterans, and improve government accountability.
During his career, Mike has served as a senior-level presidential appointee at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in the Trump and Bush Administrations, a principal advisor to former U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich, and a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of State. He has founded and led two successful small businesses, The Dovilla Group, a strategic consulting firm, and The Grindstone Institute, a leadership development company. Most recently, he cofounded and served as the inaugural president and chief executive officer of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit supporting the sailors of the future USS Cleveland, the fourth ship in U.S. history to be named for Cleveland, Ohio.
Mike is a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he volunteered for service and was competitively selected for a direct commission in 2002 as an intelligence officer. He has twice been mobilized to active duty, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Baghdad (2007-2008) and the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy (2020-2021). As a reservist, Mike has served as a unit commanding officer and executive officer, among other leadership roles. Qualified as an information warfare officer, Commander Dovilla has completed intermediate and senior joint professional military education and is currently serving in a post-command leadership assignment at a reserve intelligence unit in Washington, D.C.
The great-grandson of Italian and German immigrants and a fourth generation Ohioan, Mike was born in Cleveland. He grew up and still resides in his hometown of Berea, where he became the first member of his family to graduate from college. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Baldwin Wallace University, M.P.A. in International Management from The American University, M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and Ed.D. in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership from the University of Illinois.
Mike is deeply committed to our community, state, and nation, volunteering in numerous civic, veterans, and educational organizations. He is a scripture reader at his church and devoted mentor to college students, serving in advisory roles for more than 25 years. A lifelong baseball fan and voracious reader, Mike also enjoys cooking for family and friends, traveling to historical sites around the country, and spending time outdoors with his yellow Labrador retriever, Perry, named in honor of the “Hero of Lake Erie.”